Kyle Cave
Staff Writer
Original horror movies tend to be a hit or miss; you get good ones, and then you get some that make you wonder how it even got greenlit. “Sinners” is an original project that not only hits the mark, but might be one of the most unique and rewatchable horror movies to date.
“Sinners” is not just your regular, everyday horror movie. It contains many metaphors that describe American society for African Americans. Without giving away too much about the plot, the movie takes place in the 1930s in Mississippi.
Michael B. Jordan plays himself as two characters. They buy property to throw a juke joint party with the town folks. That’s all I’ll say about the plot as I don’t want to give too much away.
One of the best things I love about “Sinners” is the cinematography. Director Ryan Coogler uses everything from visual aids, sounds and music to bring this movie to life.
Music is a big part of this film, one of my favorite scenes is a scene that shows the influence of African American music going back a century. The visual work, combined with the music, was completely breathtaking. As an African American myself, I deeply appreciated the tribute.
“Sinners” is categorized as a horror movie, and it executes that well, but I think this film is also something many people don’t categorize it in: thriller.
There are parts in this movie where you know exactly what’s going to take place and how it will take place. Even with the scene playing out exactly as you imagine it, the suspense and the dread of the characters awaiting their fates is so heart-wrenching and gut-punching. It’s absolutely incredible.
The rewatch ability of “Sinners” is amazing as well. You know how Resident Evil games have such great replay value because of so many things you miss or didn’t see the first time? That’s “Sinners” in cinema form.
I find myself yearning to watch this film over and over, looking at discussion forums and tweets, there are other things in this movie that other movie watchers noticed that I didn’t.
The beauty of art is that we can all look at one thing and notice so much. As mentioned earlier, “Sinners” doesn’t have just one theme; it has multiple.
The struggle and beauty of being black play out in multiple different ways through different scenes and characters.
That’s why I think “Sinners” is so timeless. Everything said in this movie about the black experience, the beauty of our culture and the events that take place will always be relevant in history.
Coogler not only managed to make a great horror movie, but he also made a movie about the African American experience in America.
“Sinners” is not just an entertaining horror movie, it’s a social commentary that has the potential to be taught in college courses across the world.